The recent cool down has many anglers itching for fall fishing. The calendar, however, tells another story as we are still in the heart of summer and summer fishing patterns are showing through. Big bluefish have invaded the region and can be found just about anywhere that there is a bait source; while snapper blues are getting bigger by the day and hitting just about anything thrown in front of them. Thanks to the still very warm water, striped bass are not making their presence known as much, but can be found by putting in time during low light or darkness. In addition, bottom fishing remains another worthy option for scup to black sea bass and fluke in deeper water. If your heart lies in the offshore game both the tuna and shark bite remains strong in the northeast.

Rhode Island Fishing

The word from Scott at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown is bluefish, and lots of them. Local inshore anglers have reported strong catches of large bluefish in the bay as well as out at all of the local reefs. Scott noted that if your in the hunt for large linesiders around Block Island make sure you bring extra bait as the bluefish are strong out there as well and can make quick work of a couple dozen eels. The offshore tuna and mahi bite continued to be strong this week as anglers who were willing to make the run far offshore have reported good catches of yellowfin and longfin tuna.

Mike at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown reported that the local surf fishing is in its late summer stage and has slowed to a crawl. While finding quality striped bass from the surf has become tough it is certainly not impossible as some of Mike’s customers managed keeper bass fishing live eels near deeper, cooler water. Anglers that have transitioned from artificial lures to fresh chunked bait have also had success drifting those chunks after dark. Mike reminds readers that while fishing bait, be sure to change chunks often to keep a fresh offering in the water. That added bit of freshness may be the deciding factor when a big, lethargic summertime bass swims by your bait, as to whether they will eat or not. Boat bound bass hunters have continued to report good to great bass fishing around Block Island, specifically while drifting live eels at the low light dawn and dusk hours. Local bottom fishing has remained consistent in the area as Mike noted that large fluke have been willing to hit squid strips on jigs drifted over Ohio Ledge. The black sea bass and scup fishing has been improving everyday around Dutch Island and many anglers have also reported catching triggerfish in the area. If you haven’t had a chance to try triggerfish I suggest giving it a shot, as these late summer inhabitants of New England are one of the tastiest species our waters’ have to offer. Mike also added that he has been selling shiners at a torrid pace and that local sweetwater anglers have been having great success with quality largemouth bass in Warden’s Pond, 30 Acre Pond and many of the other local small ponds. Live shiners fished under bobbers and topwater artificial offerings have fooled the greatest number of bucketmouths, specifically in the hours right after dusk.

Down the coast at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, Ron reported that things have quieted down but there is still plenty of activity to keep anglers busy. The scup bite has been excellent in and around the mouth of the breachway; while further up in the salt pond, snapper bluefish are everywhere. The local fluke bite remains steady although many more shorts than keepers seems to be the trend as the season winds down. Black sea bass have been plentiful in local waters as well as around Block Island, with angler’s reporting great numbers of sea bass with enough keeper-sized fish mixed in to ensure taking home a limit. Bluefish have taken up residency on all of the local reefs from Westerly to Newport. These toothy critters are fun to catch but make locating stripers much more difficult. For your best bet at a quality linesider focus on drifting the deeper ends of the reefs with live bait from dusk till dawn.

Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly was fresh off a trip offshore to Tuna Ridge where he was able to manage a nice 50 pound bluefin and multiple blue sharks. Mike reported plenty of life offshore for those willing to make the trip. Inshore, the fluke fishing is beginning to taper off but the sea bass and “New England Panfish”, as Mike likes to refer to scup, has been red hot. Mike noted that striper reports have been scarce but big bluefish have been keeping anglers busy. For your best shot at a gator blue Mike suggested fishing around the mouth of Weakapaug Breachway in the low light hours.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Capt. Blaine, of Anderson Guide Services, noted that the late summer patterns have set in and action has slowed a bit in Long Island Sound. Blaine rated the striped bass fishing on the local reefs as decent, reporting that he has been able to find good numbers of keeper-sized fish for his clients but the size of the bass are down greatly from earlier in the season. He decided to make the trek to Block Island in search of some larger bass on Wednesday and was rewarded with some quality fish, including a 43 pound cow. Along with the bass came loads of bluefish ready to chomp up his eels on nearly every drop. Large schools of bunker continue to hang around the mouth of the Connecticut River but they are still proving difficult to locate without electronics. The bunker appear to be changing locations every couple of hours and Blaine even found them over a mile south of the river this week, which is unusual for this time of year. Blue crabs are still very plentiful in the river and are providing anglers with some fun and good eats on days that the fish aren’t cooperating.

At River’s End in Old Saybrook, Q reported the striper fishing to be decent but still relatively inconsistent. Angler’s drifting live bunker at Long Sand Shoal and Hatchet Reef have found some bass but they seem to be here today and gone tomorrow. A lack of small bait and feeding bass has him wondering if everything is still a bit behind or if something bigger is at play. Big bluefish have shown up in the race and at Plum Gut while the snapper bluefish season is shaping up to be a good one. Snappers can be found in the currents of nearly every tidal estuary of the lower river. Fluke reports have been ok from Block Island, the Rhode Island Beaches as well as the Waterford Beaches but most anglers are complaining of too many shorts and not enough keepers. It may be time to try fluking closer to home as many large fluke move into shallower water to feed on the snappers that are pouring into the region.

Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters also noted a decline in the size of the striped bass he found this week but reported great action of 24-30 inch fish on light tackle in the eastern sound. Mike had a similar report from the western sound Monday night, as he was able to fool some smaller bass and bluefish on artificial plugs in the Milford area. The highlight of his week came on Sunday when he went fluke fishing on a friend’s boat in the western sound. The fluking was slow but the duo boated a dozen keeper weakfish on fluke rigs!

Further west at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Rick reported that the striper bite hasn’t been fast or furious but that customer’s have been scoring some good bass in the deeper humps by 11B and 28C. All the bass have been coming during the nighttime hours while large bluefish are roaming those same waters during the day. Fresh bunker chunks have been the bait of choice for both bass and bluefish anglers. The scup bite continued to improve throughout the week and Rick continues to see a great deal of large scup being weighed in at the shop. Rick also reported that he has been having a hard time keeping snapper poppers on the shelves as snapper bluefish are just about everywhere and are providing angler’s, both young and old, with terrific angling opportunities.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Don’t let all the talk of the summer doldrums keep you off the water this weekend. The new moon and dark, cool nights that are forecasted should wake up some hungry cow stripers. Black sea bass and scup are plentiful if you’re looking to put some fish on the table. If all else fails you can certainly count on coming into the estuaries and having enough blue crabs and snapper bluefish to keep you busy all weekend.